Must-see panels during this year’s Winter Music Conference
Established in 1985, the Winter Music Conference has continually maintained an important role within the electronic music industry. Running alongside Miami Music Week, the conference is held once a year during March, and draws an international crowd of producers, fans, and industry professionals. Fast-forward to current day, and it’s now one of the most important music conferences in the world and has expanded its influence with the passing of time. This year’s conference is the first since it was purchased by Ultra Music Festival, so there has been plenty of speculation about whether the conference will live up to lofty expectations.
While expectations are high, the conference’s lineup certainly looks set to live up to these expectations. Many international artists and leading figures in the industry are set to deliver panels that provide insight into the industry for budding producers. With so many exciting panels set to take place over the course of the week, we’ve put together a list of the ones you should make sure to attend.
Breaking In: How To Get Your Start In The Electronic Music Industry
Kicking off proceedings with a bang, on the first day of the conference, Tuesday, March 26th at 1 pm, the ‘Breaking In: How To Get Your Start In The Electronic Music Industry’ panel is set to educate producers on launching their careers. As well as the exciting subject matter, the panel has a great selection of speakers set to give their views: Alex Jukes, founder of Jukebox PR, Travis Rogers, founder of Humans Alike, global superstar DJ Fedde Le Grand, Carl Loben, Editor-in-Chief of DJ Magazine, and Juan Pablo Salcedo, an agent from David Lewis Productions. With such an elite list of speakers involved, this panel is likely to draw a great deal of interest.
Check out this panel here.
Inside Track: With Deorro, Elvis Crespo, Henry Fong, and Dani Deahl
If you’re looking for insight provided by artists, this panel could just be for you. It’s set to take place on the conference’s second day, Wednesday, March 27th at 1 pm. With Deorro, Elvis Crespo, Henry Fong and Dani Deahl set to give insight, this is set to be another panel that will draw great interest. The producers/DJs are set to discuss building your career from the ground up, providing technical tips and tricks along the way.
Check out this panel here.
The State of Trance: With Armin van Buuren and guests
At 2 pm that same day, Armin van Buuren will be joined by high-profile guests as he goes into detail about the growth of his A State of Trance brand globally. He’ll be joined by none other than Carl Loben, DJ Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief to discuss how the brand became a global phenomenon. Whether you’re looking to dive into the trance scene or not, this panel will draw immense interest as producers look to gather knowledge from one of the industry’s most illustrious DJs.
Check out this panel here.
Going Downstream: Getting Noticed On Today’s Most Popular Streaming Platforms
At 4 pm on Wednesday, March 27th, this panel is set to provide producers with helpful tips and tricks that will help anyone become noticed on leading streaming platforms. Speaking at this panel are a number of industry experts: Andre Benz, CEO of The Nations, Seth Combs, CMO of Beat Fever, Dan Petruzzi, Vice President of Partnerships at Mixcloud, Austin Kramer, Global Head of Dance/Electronic at Spotify, and Orri Sachar, leading Artist Development at Monstercat. This panel is a must-see for those looking to increase their engagement across leading streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
Check out this panel here.
Bring The Bass: NGHTMRE, SLANDER, Kayzo & Whipped Cream
At 5 pm join NGHTMRE, Kayzo, Slander, Whipped Cream, Ethan Baer, founder of EDM.com and Ben Hogan, an agent from United Talent Agency. If you’re a bass producer looking to make headway, this panel might just be perfect for you. Within electronic music, finding success can send you on a different path depending on which sub-genre you find yourself focussing. If bass music is your path of choice, this panel will provide you with a great deal of advice and experience from leading figures.
Check out this panel here.
David Guetta: The Road to Jack Back
On the last day of the conference, Thursday, March 28th at 12 pm, David Guetta will host his own panel regarding the development of his most recent alias, Jack Back. He’ll be joined by Zach Jaffe, Product & Marketing Manager at Beatport. Firstly, viewers will watch a short documentary created by Beatport on David Guetta’s Jack Back alias, before Guetta will complete a Q&A. For those looking to gain insight from industry leaders, it doesn’t get better than this.
Check out this panel here.
Spinnin’ Records With Special Guests Sander van Doorn and Lucas & Steve
At 1 pm on Thursday, March 28th, Spinnin’ Records will host their own panel with special guests Sander van Doorn, Lucas & Steve and Liquid Todd, SiriusXM Radio producer. Representing the record label, its CEO Roger de Graaf and Head of A&R Jorn Heringa are set to speak. This panel is great for anyone following a path towards working with a label like Spinnin’, and anyone looking for insight into the history and future of the label.
Check out this panel here.
With so many exciting panels set to take place during this year’s Winter Music Conference, it is now more important than ever to plan a schedule to ensure that you won’t miss anything. Make sure to give yourself a balanced schedule to avoid burning out, and check out the full panel schedule to ensure that you manage to catch all of the conference highlights.